Food tray support apparatus

ABSTRACT

A tabletop food tray support apparatus uses a number of support booms stacked axially upon a post. Each boom has a tray supporting platform at one end of a rigid beam and a bearing structure at the other end. The bearing rotatably and removably engages the post so the tray-carrying platform can revolve about the post. The platform attaches to the beam in an offset manner a radial distance beyond the center of gravity of the tray so that a heavier pot will tend to deflect the platform safely toward the post thereby discouraging accidental dumping of the food tray by overloading the boom and/or by rapidly revolving the platform In this way the angled platform provides a centripetal force component to a revolving tray carried on the boom. The platform can be formed from a steel ring sized to support common serving tray shapes. The post can be made hollow to accommodate insertion of an umbrella pole therethrough for use in patio tables. The booms can be of varying lengths to reduce interference among axially adjacent booms.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to food service and food presentation, and moreparticularly to apparatuses for supporting and displayingfood-containing trays.

BACKGROUND

In the food service or catering arts, it is customary to provide variousfunctional and aesthetically acceptable tabletop structures fordisplaying trays of food. Often times such structures have been used toprovide a large number of food choices on a relatively small tabletoparea. Over a century ago, Hansen, in U.S. Pat. No. 494,704 proposed atable top stand for displaying a number of food trays in an axially andradially spaced apart manner upon a number of platform holders rotatablymounted to a central standard or post. More recently, O'Brien, in U.S.Pat. No. 5,335,803 proposed a lazy susan-type rotatable support platterconcentrically mounted about the umbrella pole of a patio table. Bothpatents are incorporated herein by this reference.

These prior devices can suffer from various problems. Typically, foodsupport trays such as pots, plates and bowls are made of smooth and hardmaterials such as porcelain or stainless steel. As such, there can below friction between the tray and the platform supporting it. Duringuse, such trays are often subjected to dynamic lateral forces such aswhen a person is trying to scrape out the last burnt residue of augratin potatoes. Such forces can lead to movement or dumping of the trayoff of the platform. Often times, trays carry hot food and arethemselves dangerously hot. Therefore, it can be difficult for the userto attempt to steady the tray during the application of such forces.Another problem with prior rotating food displays is that the act ofrevolving the platform can impart centrifugal forces on thefood-carrying tray which can lead to the dumping of the tray or causinga user to attempt to steady a hot tray. Often a user will actimpulsively and may attempt to contact a hot tray with his or her barehands leading to burns. Dumping of the trays can lead to spilling orsplashing of hot food items onto persons, where if they do not causeburns, can certainly ruin an enjoyable meal, regardless of the qualityof the au gratin potatoes.

Another problem with prior devices is that they typically do not readilyallow rapid adjustment in order to accommodate a wide variety of trayshapes and sizes without the use of tools. Caterers and other foodproviders would prefer to use a single piece of equipment which can bereadily adapted to different types of events, number of guests, andtypes of food. Also, it is of particular interest to provide the abilityto quickly and easily remove unused platforms which would tend todetract from the aesthetics of the display indicating missing items orobstructing the view of other trays. Such platforms could also interferewith the movement of adjacent trays. Also, when a portion of the systembecomes inoperative, it is difficult for the untrained person to quicklyrepair the portion, often leading to removal of it, and for possibleaesthetic reasons the entire emplacement of good and bad fixtures.

Another potential problem is that food service workers can be relativelyunskilled and work in positions where there is rapid turnover and littletime for training. Therefore, many prior devices can be too difficult toreconfigure without tools and/or special knowledge or skill at usingthem.

Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus which minimizes oreliminates some of the above described problems with existing fooddisplays.

SUMMARY

The exemplary embodiments provide an improved adjustable food traysupport apparatus. Some embodiments provide a number of tray supportbooms rotatably and removably mounted axially adjacent to one another ona standard. Some embodiments provide a means for allowing differentlysized and shaped food trays to be used on the same support boom. Someembodiments provide a support boom having an inwardly deflectable traycarrying platform. Some embodiments provide a decoratively camouflagedboom manipulating handle.

In some embodiments there is provided an apparatus for movablysupporting a food tray having a center of gravity, said apparatuscomprises: a substantially stationary base structure; a support boomwhich comprises: a bearing structure movably secured to said basestructure; a platform shaped and dimensioned to support said tray, saidplatform having a distal section; a rigid beam having a proximal endportion secured to said bearing structure, and a distal end portionsecured to said distal section at a point located distally from saidcenter of gravity; whereby said platform has a proximal section locatedproximately to said center which deflects downwardly in response to asufficient weight of said tray and its contents.

In some embodiments said platform is secured to said beam in absence ofa substantial structural connection between said platform and said beamlocated proximally from said center of gravity.

In some embodiments said platform comprises a closed ring having a mostdistal section secured to said beam. In some embodiments said beamcomprises a stop surface to prevent deflection of said proximal sectionbeyond a given distance. In some embodiments said boom further comprisesa handle extending downwardly from a medial portion of said beam. Insome embodiments said handle is camouflaged as a plant appendage. Insome embodiments said base structure comprises a post having asubstantially cylindrical outer surface and wherein said bearingstructure rotatably engages said outer surface. In some embodiments saidbearing structure comprises a sleeve having an axial bore shaped anddimensioned to intimately and rotatably engage said substantiallycylindrical outer surface of said post. In some embodiments said postdefines an interior lumen extending from a top end opening to a bottomend opening, said lumen being shaped and dimensioned to allow passage ofan umbrella pole therethrough. In some embodiments said base structureconsists of an umbrella pole. In some embodiments said apparatus furthercomprises a plurality of said supports booms axially spaced apart uponsaid post and being independently rotatable. In some embodiments saidapparatus further comprises a at least one spacer sleeve having an axialbore shaped and dimensioned to intimately and rotatably engage asubstantially cylindrical outer surface of said post. In someembodiments a top end of said post is threaded. In some embodiments theapparatus further comprises a top cap comprising a tray supportingpedestal formed thereon. In some embodiments said platform is hingedlyconnected to said beam such that said platform deflects toward said postunder the force of a given weight. In some embodiments said platform isbiased toward a horizontal orientation.

In some embodiments there is provided that in a rotatable food traysupport apparatus comprising a support boom movably attached to astandard wherein said boom comprises a rigid beam secured to a platformfor supporting a tray having a center of gravity, an improvement whichcomprises: said platform being hingedly secured to said beam at a pointa greater radial distance form said standard than said center ofgravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatical perspective view of an exemplary embodimentof an adjustable table-top food tray display apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical perspective view of an exemplary embodimentof food tray display apparatus having an umbrella pole mounted throughit.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatical elevational, partial cutaway view of asupport boom of the apparatus of FIG. 1 and showing a decorative handle.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatical elevational, partial cutaway view of asupport boom under the weight of a heavy food tray.

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatical elevational, cross-sectional view of a numberof axially stacked booms and spacers on a post.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatical elevational, view of a support boom accordingto an alternate embodiment providing a heater.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawing there is shown in FIGS. 1-3 an exemplaryembodiment of a tabletop food tray support apparatus 1 having aplurality of support booms 2 each rotatably and removably mounted upon avertical support post 5 extending upwardly from a base 6. Each boom isformed from a durable, rigid, formable material such as steel, and isadapted have a platform 13 for movably carrying a food tray 7 (as shownin FIG. 3) thereon. An end cap 17 can be provided to rotatably support atop mounted platform coaxial with the post 5. As shown in FIG. 3, thepost can have a central lumen 4 which can allow the insertion of anumbrella pole 38 as part of a patio table as shown in FIG. 2.Alternately, individual booms 2 can be mounted about the umbrella polesuch that the umbrella pole takes on the role of the support post.

As shown in FIG. 3, each support boom 2 is composed of an oblong, rigidsupport beam 8 of given length having a distal end portion 9 and aproximal end portion 10. The proximal end attaches to a bearingstructure 12 by welding or other durable fastening means. The bearingreleasably and rotatively mounts to the post 5 and provides the boomwith an axis of rotation 26. The distal end portion attaches to aplatform 13 by welding or other durable fastening means. The platform isadapted to carry a food containing tray 14 selected from a plurality ofdifferent food tray types such as pots, pans, serving plates, plattersand the like, or similar objects. The upper surface of the platform canbe textured 3 to increase static friction between the platform and tray.Such texturing is preferred over bonding a layer of high frictionmaterial such as rubber in order to maintain durability and ease ofcleaning.

The platform 13 is advantageously formed by a substantially planar ring15 oriented substantially horizontally to contact a substantially planarbottom 16 of the tray 14. The distal end portion 9 of the beam 8 has anupturned prong 18 which attaches to a distal section 19 of the ringthereby spacing the platform a vertical height h above the beam.

Each boom 2 is further formed to have a boom manipulating handle 21extending downwardly below the beam 8 from a location a radial distanceLrh out from the rotation axis 26 thereby providing a convenient andtemperature-safe grasping point for users and an adequate moment arm forforces applied at the handle. As shown, the handle can be camouflaged bybeing shaped into a bunch of grapes, leaves, some other plant appendageor some other decorative disguise.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the bearing structure 12 can be formed by asleeve-shaped body 22 having a substantially cylindrical axial bore 23sized to be intimately, rotatably and removably engaged by thesubstantially cylindrical outer surface of the post 5. The boreterminates in circular openings at the top 24 and bottom 25 ends of thesleeve and defines the axis of rotation 26 for the boom. A number ofbooms can be stacked upon the post in a vertically adjacent manner asshown in FIG. 1. In this way, each of the booms so stacked can moveindependently of the other booms. The booms can be of varying radiallengths to reduce interference among axially adjacent booms. Frictionbetween adjacent sleeves has not been found to be a problem given thelarge moment provided by the handle located out toward the distal end ofthe beam. Alternately, a nylon washer 28 can be attached to the sleevearound the bottom opening 25 to act as a low-friction spacer betweenadjacent sleeves allowing smoother movement.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ring-shaped steel platform 13 at a distalsection 19 can be welded to the distal end of the steel beam prong 18which is a radial distance Dra from the axis of rotation 26. This issignificant because it allows the center of mass C of a food laden tray11 to be located at a shorter radial distance Drc from the rotationalaxis 26 than the point of attachment. The substantially rigid, butstructurally elastic connection between the platform and beam allows theplatform to deflect toward the axis 26 under the weight W of the foodladen tray 11 thereby orienting the platform at an angle A to thehorizontal, causing the proximal part 27 of the tray to sink lower thanits distal part 29 from the original position shown on dotted lines.

The deflection causes the platform to provide added resistance tomovement of the tray radially outward from the axis. In other words, theplatform changes its orientation under the weight of the tray to providea centripetal force component to the angularly moving, revolving tray,thereby helping to prevent dislodgement of the tray from the platformduring rotational movement of the boom due to centrifugal forces.

It should be noted that in order to achieve the above safety function,the center of mass of the tray is located closer to the rotational axisthan the point or points of attachment between the platform and beam.There is no substantial attachment between the platform and the beam ata point closer to the rotation axis than the center of gravity. In thisway, the attachment between platform and the beam can be said to be inabsence of any substantial attachment closer to the axis than the tray'scenter of gravity. The words “substantial attachment” are used to mean astructurally significant attachment made to provide structural supportto the normally horizontal orientation of the platform. By simplywelding the beam to the distal-most section of the platform, theplatform is free to deflect inwardly toward the support post.

It should be noted that the structurally elastic single distalattachment point provides the structural equivalent of a biased hingeconnection between the platform and beam, where the platform is biasedtoward a horizontal orientation and that biasing force can be overcomeby a sufficient moment applied to the platform, typically provided bythe weight of a food laden tray set upon the platform.

Another advantage of providing a single attachment between the platformand the beam made of metal, is that less heat will be conducted to thehandle:

The vertical height h spacing of the platform above the beam is selectedso that when the platform is placed under the stress of a given weightW, a proximal section 20 of the ring can contact the rigid beam at astop surface thereby preventing further deflection of the platform. Inmost applications this feature can prevent any significant elasticstrain in the boom leading to over-tipping of the tray.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, a number of spacer sleeves 30,31 ofvarious axial heights Ha1, Ha2 can be provided to further axially spaceapart adjacent booms 32,33 thereby making the location of the boomsaxially adjustable. The use of the spacer sleeves combined withproviding a number of booms having different radial length beams allowsfor infinite configuration of the support apparatus accommodatingsettings having a range of tray sizes and shapes. A boom can be providedhaving a closed top end 34 as shown in FIG. 1. Alternately, an end cap35 can be provided having a top mounted platform or pedestal 36.Further, the end cap and top end of the post can be correspondinglythreaded 37 to prevent unwanted disassembly of the display duringtransport.

An advantage of the above apparatus is that it can be quickly and easilyreconfigured by relatively unskilled workers by simply restacking boomsof different sizes. Extra booms can be easily removed and replaced byless unsightly spacer sleeves. Another advantage is that the entireapparatus is disassembleable and provides hard surfaces for easycleaning.

Another advantage of using the ring-shaped platform is that it allowsfor the unobstructed application of heat to the center undersurface ofthe tray being supported. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, there isshown an alternate embodiment of a support boom 41 having a rigid beam42 having a distal end portion 43 having an upwardly projecting prong 44attached to a distal section 45 of a platform 46 for supporting a foodtray 47. A heater support plate 48 is secured to a medial portion 49 ofthe beam and is so located to carry a portable heating device 50 such asa STERNO brand portable heating fuel can which is commercially availablefrom the Candle Corporation of America company of Des Plaines, Ill. Theplate can be located directly below the central hole 51 in the ring. Thering itself can be coated with a layer of heat resistant and heatinsulating material such as ceramic. This material can have a surfacetextured to increase static friction between the platform and tray.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described, modifications canbe made and other embodiments may be devised without departing from thespirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

1. An apparatus for movably supporting a food tray having a center ofgravity, said apparatus: comprises: a substantially stationary basestructure; a support boom which comprises: a bearing structure movablysecured to said base structure; a platform shaped and dimensioned tosupport said tray, said platform having a distal section; a rigid beamhaving a proximal end portion secured to said bearing structure, and adistal end portion secured to said distal section at a point locateddistally from said center of gravity; whereby said platform has aproximal section located proximately to said center which deflectsdownwardly in response to a sufficient weight of said tray and itscontents.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said platform is securedto said beam in absence of a substantial structural connection betweensaid platform and said beam located proximally from said center ofgravity.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said platform comprises aclosed ring having a most distal section secured to said beam.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said beam comprises a stop surface toprevent deflection of said proximal section beyond a given distance. 5.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said boom further comprises a handleextending downwardly from a medial portion of said beam.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5, wherein said handle is camouflaged as a plantappendage.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base structurecomprises a post having a substantially cylindrical outer surface andwherein said bearing structure rotatably engages said outer surface. 8.The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said bearing structure comprises asleeve having an axial bore shaped and dimensioned to intimately androtatably engage said substantially cylindrical outer surface of saidpost.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said post defines an interiorlumen extending from a top end opening to a bottom end opening, saidlumen being shaped and dimensioned to allow passage of an umbrella poletherethrough.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said base structureconsists of an umbrella pole.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidapparatus further comprises a plurality of said supports booms axiallyspaced apart upon said post and being independently rotatable.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein said apparatus further comprises a atleast one spacer sleeve having an axial bore shaped and dimensioned tointimately and rotatably engage a substantially cylindrical outersurface of said post.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a top end ofsaid post is threaded.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, which furthercomprises a top cap comprising a tray supporting pedestal formedthereon.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said platform is hingedlyconnected to said beam such that said platform deflects toward said postunder the force of a given weight.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid platform is biased toward a horizontal orientation.
 17. In arotatable food tray support apparatus comprising a support boom movablyattached to a standard wherein said boom comprises a rigid beam securedto a platform for supporting a tray having a center of gravity, animprovement which comprises: said platform being hingedly secured tosaid beam at a point a greater radial distance form said standard thansaid center of gravity.